In the electrical field, especially in telephone communication and transmission, it is frequently desirable to clamp a selective number of cables from a cable bundle in fixed disposition with each other preliminary to directing certain of the clamped cables to a certain location or zone. Such cables usually include a plurality of individual wire conductors which are encapsulated within an outer covering encased about a tubular extruded or braided sheath, preferably copper, which acts as an electrical shield for transmissions through the wire conductors themselves. The encircling conductive shield of these cables are usually coupled to a common electrical ground by way of a clamp compressively contacting the metallic sheath from which a portion of the outer cover has been skinned or stripped. The cables themselves are of various diameters depending upon the number and gauge of the individual wire conductors.
In the past, it has been the usual practice to provide a cable clamp wherein only a single cable was embraced by each jaw of a stacked array so that the cable in each set of jaws was retained in spaced parallel disposition with respect to the other clamped cable elements. Such prior cable clamps tended to distort the cables excessively and required excessive pressures in order to prevent loosening. In addition to these drawbacks, such clamps were likely to be expensive owing to the intricate nature of the cast or machine parts from which the clamp was assembled. Moreover, the use of a clamping arrangement in which only a single cable was retained within one set of jaws of a stacked set of such jaws necessarily increased the overall size of the cable clamp. Added to the mass of metal embodied within the clamp with consequent augmentation in cost and detracted from the ability of the clamp to function with uniform pressure upon the various cables being integrated. Yet another difficulty experienced with prior cable clamps was the problem of coupling them to a housing or bracket while at the same time threading or nesting of the individual cables within the jaws, such difficulty resulting from the unstable nature of the coupling mechanism which could not restrain rotational movement or twisting of the clamp either prior to or during the clamping procedure.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an electrical cable clamp for retaining one or more cables in fixed disposition with respect to each other while employing a minimum number of component parts.
Another object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp for electrically coupling the tubular shield of such cables to a common electrical ground while acting as a strain relief for the cable's individual wire elements.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp which grips at longitudinally spaced portions along the cables retained therein so as to insure adequate contact pressure without undue pinching or overclamping.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp which can accommodate cables of unequal diameter and cross-section.
Yet still another object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp which is readily coupled to a bracket which carries a bundle of such cables.
A further object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp and bracket wherein the clamp is restrained from rotational and twisting action during assembly or mounting.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a cable clamp for retaining a plurality of cables within an assembly of minimum size.
Other objects of this invention are to provide an improved device of the character described which is easily and economically produced, sturdy in construction and highly efficient and effective in operation.